


Perfect Sun

by stringer



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:28:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26905153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stringer/pseuds/stringer
Summary: Christen Press is the first data scientist to be hired full time by the USWNT. Can she and her analytics win over a soft-eyed artisan?
Relationships: Tobin Heath/Christen Press
Comments: 9
Kudos: 84





	Perfect Sun

Christen made her way across the lobby of the training center. She didn’t so much walk as she floated. She had been working towards this day her entire life. All of the research, all of the building and modeling, grad school, her thesis, everything. 

With a smile that practically reached all the way around her head, she said to the woman at the reception desk, “I’m Christen Press and today’s my first day with the team. I’m here to see Vlatko Andonovski.” 

She was positively giddy as she watched the woman punch something into the computer in front of her. 

“Ok, he’s all ready for you - I’ll take you up.” the woman said.

The two women walked down a corridor towards a bank of elevators.

“So, are you a coach?” the woman asked

“No, not really. I’m joining the coaching staff but I’m not a coach, I’m a data scientist.” Christen replied confidently.

“Oh, cool” the woman replied sort of absently.

Christen got this a lot. People would ask what she did, but data science was sort of a new field that not many people outside of the analytics community had heard of. The term itself is sort of intimidating, and as a result, people who were unfamiliar didn’t do much to get themselves familiar. She certainly didn’t fault the woman beside her, she was just trying to make small talk.

It was harder to brush it off in a relationship. Her last girlfriend, an idealistic social worker who didn’t have as many letters after her last name, didn’t understand her work so she just stopped asking. At first, Christen thought it was sort of cute the way Jenny would praise her big-brain and quickly change the subject. But, after a while, Christen grew resentful of not being able to talk about her work and her research. She didn’t expect Jenny to help her write query code, but at least she could let her take up some space. In the end, the breakup was messier then it should have been.

The elevator opened and the woman pointed down a hallway. “His office is all the way down on the left. Do you want me to take you there?” 

“No, I think I can manage from here, thank you for your help.” Christen replied

“Ok, good luck!” the woman said as the elevator doors closed.

Christen walked down the hall, taking note of the photographs on the walls. Action shots from the various games and tournaments that have all taken place at the facility. Men with taped down ears in rugby scrums, trucks with ridiculous tires churning through piles of mud, a goalie in mid-air fingertips reaching for the ball. All of them suspended in time.

A big friendly voice broke her out of her thoughts.

“Christen! You’re finally here! Welcome!” Vlatko boomed as he quickly walked towards her with his hand extended.

Christen beamed as her hands wrapped around his. “I’m so excited to be here!”

“Come meet the rest of the team.” Vlatko said as he led them towards his office. In the room, the rest of the coaching staff was seated around a conference table. 

“Ok guys, I know some of you have met, I’d like to introduce Christen Press, CEO and founder of Full Press Data and our new official data scientist. Christen is using data to unlock efficiencies and probabilities that will help make our team even more effective. Her data and analysis and the athletic conditioning and training that you all focus on will help ensure that the USWNT remain the most dominant team on the planet.” Vlatko said.

One by one, the coaches introduced themselves and shook Christen’s hand.

“So, are you able to predict what team will win a game? Is that what you do?” One of the coaches asked.

“No, I can’t predict a winner, but I can tell you what sort of shot, at what angle, against every single goalie, under every kind of field condition, has the highest probability of going in.” Christen explained

“Christen’s algorithm was over 92% accurate for all of last year.” Vlatko beamed.

“95% actually.” Christen clarified gracefully.

“See! I told you!” Vlatko boomed excitedly

Christen has loved soccer her entire life and has loved this team for as long as she can remember. Working for this team, being on this staff was her singular goal. She had finally arrived.

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is sort of a re-boot of another story I tried to write about Christen joining the USWNT staff. That story had some good pieces, but it went off the rails quickly and I couldn't figure out what the hell to do with it. 
> 
> I'm not a very good writer, but I'm trying to be better. This site and this fandom has kept me sane during covid. Thank you to all of the amazing writers who contribute - you have no idea how much you mean to me.


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